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Indians sign Perez, Smith to one-year deals

9/28/12: Chris Perez gets Ezequiel Carrera to fly out to center field, locking down the Indians' 8-5 win and securing his 39th save

By Zack Meisel and Jordan Bastian
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MLB.com |

CLEVELAND -- The Indians had no trouble negotiating with the vaunted "Bullpen Mafia."

The club sidestepped arbitration with Chris Perez and Joe Smith, signing both relievers to one-year pacts on Friday. Perez will earn $7.3 million for the 2013 campaign and Smith will merit $3.15 million, a source confirmed to MLB.com.

Any unsigned arbitration-eligible players were required to exchange salary proposals with their teams by 1 p.m. ET on Friday. The Tribe agreed to terms with center fielder Drew Stubbs and catcher Lou Marson earlier Friday morning. The Indians have not gone to an arbitration hearing with a player since 1991.

Perez racked up 98 saves for Cleveland over the last three seasons, including a career-high 39 in 2012. His 39 saves ranked fourth in the American League. The hard-throwing right-hander has earned a trip to the All-Star Game each of the last two years. Perez will be arbitration-eligible for the final time next winter, and can become a free agent for the first time following the 2014 season.

Smith tallied seven wins and a 2.96 ERA across 72 appearances with the Tribe in 2012. The 28-year-old is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.